My Sons, My Clan, My Village
by bashfulglowfly
Summary: Fugaku severely underestimated what Mikoto would do to protect those she loved and cared for. And what happens after Mikoto adopts Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

**My Sons, My Clan, My Village**

 **By Bashfulglowfly**

Uchiha Fugaku jogged slowly through the rain and the mud of the family compound. He stuck to the shadows because he didn't want to be seen by any clan members and have them stop and ask him about trivial matters.

He was pleased with how his mission had gone. Several of the Fire Daimyo's advisors had pledged their support. It wasn't time yet to approach the Daimyo himself. But soon. Perhaps in three or four months the time would be right.

He decided that he wouldn't go through the main doors of his house. He didn't want a fuss being made over his return. Sasuke would likely wake and make a fuss. He was going to have to tear that boy from Mikoto's apron strings and make him grow up. After all, when Itachi was four he was already quite successful as a shinobi. Sasuke's current progress was entirely unacceptable.

Fugaku reach the window that lead to his bedroom and quietly opened it and crawled inside. As his feet touched the floorboards, he gave a sigh of relief that quickly turned into a strangled gasp of pain.

He had been stabbed! In his own home!

He turned disbelieving eyes to his attacker.

"Mikoto?"

His wife stood there expressionless. Her eyes red with the Sharingan.

"Why?" Fugaku gasped out as he went to his knees.

Mikoto tilted her head and looked at him as if she was looking at something that didn't matter to her. "Why? Well, I could say it's because you've muddied my nice clean floors. But that wouldn't be the truth."

Fugaku placed one hand on the floorboards, struggling to stay upright but Mikoto had stabbed him too many times and in the most vital areas.

Mikoto didn't approach him. She wasn't that stupid. But she leaned forward a bit as she spoke. "Why did I kill you? I killed you for my sons, my clan, my village."

His strength and blood was draining from him. He had to place both hands on the floor, still trying to get upright. He fought to drag air into his lungs. Mikoto had punctured the left. "Why?" he gasped out.

"Why? Because you and this stupid stupid path you are taking is going to get us all killed. You don't think I know? You don't think I listen? You don't think I _hear_? You are _not_ going to kill my sons and my clan with your stupidity and pride. The Uchiha is a strong clan. We don't need to prove that fact to _anyone_. If someone believes we're weak and lacking, well we'll prove it over their dead bodies."

She gave Fugaku a smile that said that _his_ was going to be one of the dead bodies.

"The…Elders…won't…stand…for…this…" Fugaku fell to the floorboards with a soft, moist squelch.

Mikoto made a sad face. "Oh…that's right, you were gone…starting treason in the Capitol. I'm so sorry to tell you but a terrible bout of the flu rampaged through the compound right after you left. Most of the Clan Elders died from it."

"Just…not…your…supporters…"

Mikoto sneered at him with a soft laugh. "You must think I'm stupid. I may have chosen to become a wife and mother but I am a kunoichi of the Uchiha Clan of Konoha." Now, she knelt next to him. "No, a few of the idiots who supported your stupid plan are still alive. Weak but alive. But they will no longer have the power they once had nor will they have the power you convinced them to dream of."

"Bitch…"

Mikoto grinned at him. Her voice took on the exaggerated tones that some of the clan adolescents had started using. "Duh. Kunoichi!"

"The…boys…"

"My sons. My _sons_ , Fugaku, will be just fine without you. They will be raised to know what it is like to members of the Uchiha Clan who are shinobi for Konoha. They will grieve for you but they will not have to go down the dark path that you are already forcing on Itachi. And once you are gone, I will be able to remove him from that path and from under Danzo's thumb."

"You…know…"

"Stupid stupid man."

Fugaku knew that he didn't have much longer. His eyesight was fading as well as his hearing. "What…hap…happe…"

"What happens next…you needn't worry about." Mikoto stood up and moved towards the door. "Goodbye, Fugaku." She stood to the side as the door slid open and another Mikoto came through and slid it closed then quietly poofed away.

As his sight faded completely, the last thing he heard, as if from a long tunnel was Mikoto's screams for help.

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Sasuke clung to his mother's hand as they walked back to the house. Itachi walked on her other side.

"Mama?"

"Yes, Sasuke?"

"Have they found the people who killed Father?"

"No, sweetie. They haven't. Because of the rain, they can't find where he was attacked. We're just lucky he was able to make it home before he died."

"'Cause then we would have never know what happened to him?"

"'Known what happened to him.' But, yes."

"Mother?"

"Yes, Itachi?"

"I have a meeting first thing in the morning with Danzo-sama and the Elders. Do you wish for me to still attend that?"

Mikoto smiled at her eldest son and stroked a finger down the stress marks that were starting to fade from his face. "We'll discuss that later, you and I." She hugged both boys close. "But first, we have to go get your new brother."

"New brother?" asked Itachi

"How do you 'get' a new brother? 'Tachi said babies are borned out of mama's tummies."

Mikoto laughed lightly. "Itachi is correct but your new brother is already born and is your age, Sasuke. His name is Naruto."


	2. Chapter 2

"Lemme go!" Naruto struggled but the hands of his captor remained tight on the neck of his jacket and on the seat of his pants.

The four-year-old closed his eyes. The world seemed spin round and round as his captor ran across the rooftops of Konoha.

He tried to remember that he was a big boy who lived by himself but he'd already spent part of the day running from a group of people who wanted to hurt him and just when he thought his hiding place was going to be good enough for a few hours, he was caught.

Naruto's lower lip trembled and a few tears fell through the air.

Suddenly his captor made a huge leap and landed on the ground. Naruto opened his eyes and tried to look around but because of the tight grip his captor had on him all he could see were grass and flowers.

"Where did you find him?" It was a woman's voice. Soft. Gentle.

"In the dumpster behind The Red Lantern?"

The woman's voice was shocked. "The Red Lantern? Why was he in the red light district?"

His captor's voice became hard. "Hiding from a group of civilians who'd been chasing him for hours."

"Hours?!" The woman's voice also turned hard. "Who was supposed to be watching him? Why did they let it occur?"

"Two ANBU. You know I can't tell you their names but the idiots lost friends four years ago…"

"And the idiots thought that this four-year-old was getting what he deserved?"

"Basically. They won't be doing that again. For several weeks."

"And the civilians?"

"From now on, the mere thought of the boy will make them pee themselves."

"Good." The woman's feet came into Naruto's view. She knelt down so he could see her face. She had black hair and dark eyes. She looked kind but Naruto already knew that looks could be deceiving. "Naruto-chan, Shisui is going to put you down…if you promise not to run. If you run, one of us will catch you. Do you promise not to run?"

Naruto sniffled. He couldn't figure out how he was going to get away but he figured that he'd be able to sooner or later. He didn't have to tell strangers the truth. "Okay."

He was promptly set on his feet and he staggered a bit until he got his balance.

The woman reached out and Naruto flinched. Sadness entered the woman's face and eyes but she still continued to reach out and gently stroked Naruto's face. "Welcome home, my son."

"I'm not your son."

"No, I'm not your birth mother. But I'm going to be your adoptive mother. Do you know what adoption is?"

"Yeah, but I'm not 'dopta'ble 'cause I have a demon in my tummy."

The woman looked even sadder. "Well, Naruto-chan, that's not entirely correct. You don't have a demon IN your tummy but he's ON your tummy."

"That's not quite true, Aunt Mikoto." Naruto twisted around and looked at his captor. The man looked like the woman only with a happier face and eyes.

"I know, Shisui. But he's four. More technical explanations can wait until he's older." She straightened and looked at the man. "You better leave before you're missed. But before you do, help me strip him and you need to burn those clothes."

"They reek! Burning would be a mercy."

"NO!" Naruto turned to run but was quickly caught again. He tried to struggle but their hands stripped him of his clothes and he was picked up and carried stark naked through a house. Another woman pattered ahead and slid open a door.

The room was plain and had a box full of water. In front of the box was a stool and a bucket. The woman plopped Naruto on the stool and before he could get up to run, she poured water over his head! Naruto was so startled he didn't move when she took a cloth, rubbed a white bar across it then began rubbing him with the cloth all over!

She was washing him!

She washed his face, his ears, behind his ears, his neck, his back, his tummy, his….

"NOOOO! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO TOUCH ME THERE! JIJI SAID THAT NO ONE IS SUPPOSED TO TOUCH MY SPECIAL BITS! NOOOO!"

"Hush, Naruto! I'm your mother. It's okay for me to make sure your genitals are clean."

"Gen-tal?"

"Gen-i-tals" She smiled at him. "Also known as your 'special bits'."

Then she poured some more water in his hair, poured some thick funny colored water into her hand and began scrubbing at his hair. The funny water smelled nice.

"Close your eyes and your mouth, Naruto-chan." Naruto did as he was told and she poured water over his head. "Still keep your eyes closed." He heard metal squeak and the sound of water going into a bucket. Then more water was poured over his head.

Just when he thought it was all over, she began scrubbing him again!

Finally, she was finished. Naruto looked at himself and realized that he not only smelled different, his skin looked different too. The woman scooped him up and placed him in the box of water. "You sit there and soak. I have to do something really quick."

Naruto sat in the water and watched as the woman went to the door, slid it open and spoke to someone outside. "Even though he looks half starved, he won't be able to wear Sasuke's clothes. "Get some of Itachi's things from when he was five and six and we'll see if those fit. They should do until we're able to get him clothes of his own. Oh, and get Yumi-san. There's something I want her to look at."

"Yes, ma'am."

She slid the door closed and walked back over to Naruto. She ran her fingers through his hair and he shivered at the touch. "How do you feel?"

"Different."

"Good different or bad different?"

"I dunno…"

"Oh my poor little boy." She leaned over and pressed her lips to his forehead.

The door slid open and a really old wrinkly lady entered. "Ah, Yumi-san. I want you to look at his seal." The woman scooped Naruto out of the box, wrapped a towel around him and dried him off. Then she took a dry towel and wrapped than around him and stood him on the stool. She unwrapped the towel enough so that his tummy was showing.

"What do you think?"

"NOOOO! I'm not 'posed to let people see my tummy!"

The woman pulled him into her arms and he struggled but he couldn't get free of the towel and her arms. "Naruto-chan, I will never ever let anyone hurt you ever again. I'm your mother and mothers don't let people hurt their children. It's okay for Yumi-san to see your tummy because I say it's okay. Let her look, she won't hurt you I promise."

Naruto sniffled back his tears. "Okay."

The woman…his mother…stood him again on the stool and peeled away the towel until his tummy was bare.

The really old lady peered at the marks on his tummy and her face became even more wrinkly. And her eyes turned red. After staring at his tummy for several minutes the old lady leaned back. "Well, if Minato-sama had the time to do it properly this would be an incredible work."

"The seal won't hold?"

The old lady waved a hand in the air. "It should but it was done in haste. That much is obvious. But it's doing its job. The main problem that I see is that the boy has access to incredible amounts of chakra but not the control necessary for it."

"And if he learns that control?"

"He'll be able to make hundreds of shadow clones, at the very least."

"Oh. My."

"He must learn control first. I can probably work something out that a lot of the chakra won't be available to him until he does learn control. Perhaps the same amount Sasuke-kun has. I'm not sure. I need to write down this seal and study it for a bit before I do anything. But control is going to be the first necessary thing."

"What about Jiraiya?"

"That pervert? If you can find him, he might be able to do something but you'll have to find him first."

"How can I do that?"

"Send people to every onsen and whorehouse on the continent."

"Oh, thanks so much."

"Anytime." The old lady walked to the door. "I'll let you know what I have in a few days."

"Thank you, Yumi-san."

"You're welcome, Mikoto-chan."

The old lady walked out of the room and another woman, much younger entered with an armful of clothes.

"Ah, thank you." The young woman bowed and exited the room. Naruto's mother held up one piece after another to Naruto's body. Then she tugged the towel off and began to dress him. Naruto was startled; there were clean undies, clean EVERYTHING.

He looked up at his mother. "What am I supposed to call you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know what you're supposed to call a mother."

A tear rolled down her cheek. "Well, my given name is Mikoto but my other two sons call me 'mother'. You can call me that too if you'd like or you could also call me 'mom'."

"Mother…mother…." Naruto repeated the word several more times. He liked the sound of it. He liked saying it. He lunged at his mother and wrapped his arms around her legs. "Mother!"

Mikoto began to cry and lifted her newest son into her arms and held him close. His head went to her shoulder and his nose pressed against her neck. "Naruto, my precious son."


	3. Chapter 3

"How's the boy doing?"

Mikoto sat back in the chair and smiled at the Hokage. "Naruto is doing well. He's gaining weight which is bringing about better physical and mental conditions." She frowned for a moment. "He still has nightmares of being chased and a strange one about a man with many eyeballs. That one he doesn't remember when he's fully awake but the ones about being chased he remembers."

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed. "It was probably a mistake taking him out of the orphanage…but on the other hand, the boy wasn't doing well there either. And I couldn't find someone to watch over him."

Mikoto raised a delicate eyebrow "Obviously you didn't ask the right person."

"I thought about you then I thought about what Fugaku would say."

Mikoto sniffed. "I would have worked around Fugaku. You should have come to me from the very beginning. Kushina was my dearest friend."

"I'm sorry. Please forgive this foolish old man."

"Occasionally 'foolish old man'."

The pair smiled at each other.

"So, other than the nightmares, how is he doing?"

"Well, we're down to only two baths a day."

It was the Hokage's turn to raise an eyebrow.

Mikoto laughed. "Sasuke and Naruto are almost completely opposite and see things differently and since they don't know how to express their frustration with each other in words, it ends up with fists flying, wrestling, sometimes biting and inevitably a mud puddle. I didn't realize how many mud puddles there are in the Uchiha compound!"

"The most baths given in one day?"

"The most was six. The average was four but now, just two. Yesterday there was only one."

"High hopes."

"Yes." Mikoto laughed again. "But as much as they fight each other, neither of them will tolerate another child trying to start a fight with the other."

"They join together against opponents?"

"Oh, yes." Mikoto shook her head in loving motherly disappointment and frustration that the two boys would fight but happiness that they would fight for each other. "And much to the detriment to the other child."

"No complaints from other mothers?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Not when it's their children who start the fight. My sons just finish it."

"Have there been any problems with the kyuubi?"

"Not that we can tell. I'm not exactly certain if it communicates with Naruto or not. Sometimes he does say things that are a little too…knowledgeable…for his age. But he doesn't talk about a person that I don't know about. It could be that that the kyuubi has taught Naruto not to talk about it. I just don't know."

The Hokage nodded thoughtfully. "How is his training going?"

"Well, he's certainly behind Sasuke but he's determined. He's learning kunai and shurikan, of course but we're also teaching him how to control his chakra. He's learning how to walk up trees and walking across the ponds in the compound."

"Ponds have calm water." The Hokage pointed out.

Mikoto's look was also pointed. "What's wrong with a child first learning on calm water? Once he's mastered standing for five minutes there, then he'll be taken to the river. Why frustrate him about something he's not skilled at yet?"

"True. What are they doing today?"

"Itachi is teaching them how to release themselves and each other from a genjutsu."

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Itachi cast the genjutsu on Naruto, making sure it was something that wouldn't frighten the younger boy or possibly cause the kyuubi to react. Not that anything they've done so far had caused the tailed beast to react but why take chances…

Naruto sat on the ground. His blue eyes staring in the distance as he occasionally giggled.

Sasuke glared. "Idiot!"

Itachi poked him in the forehead. "I cast something nice. Don't be rude."

"He can't hear me."

 _Poke._ "Don't be rude. Now, break him free of the genjutsu."

Sasuke took a deep breath and made sure his feet were firmly planted. His hands flickered. "KAI!"

Itachi frowned thoughtfully. _There was something...strange…_ He shook his head, he had to have been seeing the reaction from Sasuke's release. He smiled at his brother. "Good."

Sasuke beamed.

Naruto blinked. Then blinked again. The blond boy shook his head so hard, his ears flapped. "Ah, 'Suke, that was kinda a nice dream."

"It wasn't a dream, idiot. And don't call me 'Suke!"

"'Suuuukkeeee!"

Sasuke snarled and pounced on Naruto and the two boys began to roll around in the dirt. Itachi watched for a moment, then shouted, "HEY!"

The two boys stopped and looked at their older brother. Itachi's eyes were red and his hands flickered. He gave a faint smile as the two boys froze and their eyes glazed over. _That should keep them out of trouble for a while…as long as I dispel it before Mother gets back._ Itachi leapt into a tree and pulled out a book that Kakashi-san had recommended to him.

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Sasuke and Naruto held onto Mikoto's hands as they walked through the streets of Konoha. Itachi and Shisui walked behind them. "Where are we going, Mother?"

Mikoto smiled down at him. Sasuke stubbornly insisted on calling her "mother" and Naruto, just as stubbornly (and to irritate Sasuke) called her "mama." "We're going to the Tower because the Hokage has some announcements that it's important for everyone to hear."

"Are we going to be able to talk to jiji after, Mama?"

"Perhaps. It all depends on how busy he is."

Mikoto and the boys stood in front of the platform. She along with others cheered when the Hokage walked to the center. He was also joined by the Elders and by Danzo. She looked down at Naruto when he made a strange moaning noise.

Her eyes widened at the frightened look on his face, but before she could ask what was wrong, the Hokage raised his hand for silence. He opened his mouth to speak…

"Mama! That's the man with the eyeballs on his arm!" Shocked, Mikoto looked in the direction Naruto was pointing.

He was pointing at Danzo.

"An' some of the eyes are all red and swirly too!"

Danzo sneered. "Stupid boy doesn't know what he's talking about."

Mikoto grasped tighter onto Naruto and Sasuke's hands. She could feel the killing intent from behind her and Itachi's voice rang out.

"Danzo and the Elders gave me a mission to spy on my clan and the other clans of Konoha to discover their weak points and how to destroy them."

Mikoto could see other Uchiha in the crowd and their eyes had gone red with the Sharingan…just as her own eyes had. She could clearly see Danzo and the Elders and could read the guilt on their faces.

" **PROTECT THE HOKAGE!"** came Shisui's roar. He'd seen what she had seen. Danzo reached into his cloak, pulled out a kunai and slashed at the Hokage. But he was too late. Three ANBU appeared in front of the Hokage, their masks expressionless but Mikoto could see red eyes behind the one that blocked Danzo's kunai. The other two ANBU grabbed the Hokage and disappeared.

The Elders hands began to flicker as Danzo pulled off his cloak. For the first time in years his arm was un-bandaged. And people could see what was on it.

Eyes. Nearly a dozen.

The civilians screamed, turned and ran.

Strange shinobi with blank faces and eyes appeared in front of the three elders.

"Aunt Mikoto, get the boys out of here!"

Shisui charged past her, Itachi right on his heels. On the right Asuma guarded Kurenai as the woman's hands rapidly flickered to neutralize whatever jutsus Homura and Koharu were trying to do. From the left she could see Kakashi and Gai, their faces grim with intent, charged towards the three people who had been entrusted with the safety of Konoha along with the Hokage that they obviously betrayed.

The senior jonin were followed by other shinobi. Uchiha, their eyes red. Hyuuga, veins bulging around their eyes. Aburame with their bugs flowing ahead of them. Akimichi growing larger by the second. Inuzuka with their dogs snarling with them. Nara with their shadows reaching out. Yamanaka, some with their bodies collapsing to the ground, guarded by friends.

Other jonin and chuunin joined the clans in their attack. Trusting in their seniors, their friends, their teammates.

Mikoto grabbed the boys and moved to the side of nearby building. Both Sasuke and Naruto clung to her legs but they didn't look away. "This is how shinobi of the Leaf behave, my sons. They protect the village and each other from all enemies from without and within."

"I didn't mean to start anything, Mama."

"You didn't start anything, darling. You just brought the darkness into the light."

"Is that good, Mother?"

"It's very good. I'm proud of you."

They watched as Itachi cut off Danzo's right arm. He turned and the blade cut smoothly through Danzo's neck. The strange shinobi fell to the ground. Dead. The Konoha shinobi stopped their attacks and stood awkwardly around, more than a bit stunned with what had just happened.

The surviving elders were captured. Koharu had been stopped before she'd been able to swallow a poison pill. Nara shadows had pried her jaw open, grabbed hold of her tongue and pulled out the pill. Homura had been prevented from cutting his own throat by a Yamanaka.

Kakashi as the senior Jonin began giving orders. "Bind them then take the traitors to T & I. Ibiki will want spend some time with them." Several jonin and chuunin nodded and followed his orders. "Someone take Danzo's body to T & I also, it needs to be autopsied."

"The arm?" asked Shisui.

The voice of the Hokage came from behind. "Take it along. We need to see if we can determine who's eyes he had stolen. Knowing that information will help. Then the arm will be publically burned."

Relieved nods came from the shinobi that were left.

The Hokage looked at the bodies of the strange shinobi and sighed. "Take these poor people to the hospital. We need to determine how Danzo tied them to him. See if we can find who they were and let their families know. Poor souls."

He turned and looked at Mikoto and smiled at the two boys who stood beside her. "Naruto-kun, I think you saved a lot of people today. I'm very proud of you."

Naruto beamed at him. The terror of the last few minutes receding for a little bit.

"Mikoto, take them home. I'm going to send Inoichi to you later."

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"They don't usually share a bed…"

Inoichi patted her gently on the shoulder. "Don't worry about, Mikoto. After today's events, I'd actually be a bit worried if they didn't."

"Will you get the information that you need if he's asleep?"

The blond man smiled at her. "Actually it's easier when children are asleep. Not only do I not have to deal with the wriggles and 'whys,' but the children don't have to worry if they're saying the wrong thing and thinking they're going to get in trouble for doing so."

Mikoto sighed. "I'll be in the kitchen. Cleaning and fretting."

Inoichi laughed softly. "I'll come find you when I'm done."

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Mikoto turned as she heard Inoichi's footsteps. Her eyes widened at the look on his face. "What happened?"

Inoichi ran a hand down his face. "Well…"

 _It had started out normally enough, Inoichi scanned through Sasuke's mind making sure that he wasn't traumatized by the day's events nor deeply troubled by his father's death beyond normal grief. And discovered the boy was doing fine._

 _He then switched to Naruto. It, too, started out innocuously enough. He found the recent memories and made sure that they wouldn't cause Naruto too much in the way of nightmares but then he started looking for past memories and…_

… _he found himself in a vast cavern in front of a cage with a seal. And behind the cage was the kyuubi. One eye barely opened. The red gleamed from between the eyelids. "A Yamanaka. Almost as annoying as an Uchiha."_

 _Inoichi was shocked. He hadn't realized the tailed beast could tell the difference._

" _I am rather old, child. But I do remember."_

" _Sorry."_

" _Hmmm. I take it you are examining the boy to make sure I don't influence him too much?"_

" _I do check on him but you aren't the reason why I'm checking on him today."_

" _Ah." There was amusement in that simple reaction. "You should tell those stupid villagers of yours that if they had kept up their abuse of the boy, in a very few months I would have been able to convince him to pull the seal of my prison."_

 _Inoichi felt his blood run cold._

 _The kyuubi continued. "But that Uchiha woman took him in. And took away my chance for freedom…for the moment."_

" _I'd apologize for that but I wouldn't mean it."_

 _Laughter from the kyuubi rang through the cavern. "I wouldn't mean it either. What happened to that Danzo person?"_

" _You know of him? He's dead. Executed by Uchiha Itachi."_

" _Hmmm. The boy was trying to hide and stumbled on his secret. The fool used a_ genjutsu _on the boy. I could have broken it at any time but it was probably best that the boy didn't remember. Perhaps you should look into that."_

" _Naruto has had nightmares about a man with eyeballs. Now that we know that it was Danzo, I was hoping to find that memory."_

" _Hmm." The tailed beast's eye closed and Inoichi found himself just where he needed to be._

 _He watched as Naruto burst into a room where Danzo stood, bared to the waist, his arm exposed. The older man snarled and grabbed a katana intent on killing the child but when he heard a voice calling the boy's name, he dropped the katana and quickly performed a_ genjutsu. _Inoichi could tell that what Danzo used wasn't the best and that explained why Naruto had nightmares._

 _Inoichi quickly and skillfully closed off the memory from Naruto. Setting it aside to a time when Naruto would be more mature to handle the knowledge and not be frightened by it._

Mikoto had turned pale at the recitation of what had happened inside Naruto's mind. "I'm glad I took him in when I did. I wish I had done it sooner. Regardless of how Fugaku would have felt about it or the Hokage's orders."

Inoichi nodded. "But, the kyuubi won't do anything now. He really doesn't have anything to manipulate Naruto with."

"Do you think they communicate with each other?"

Inoichi waggled a hand back and forth. "Perhaps. It's possible that Naruto visits the kyuubi in his dreams but I don't think that Naruto really has much, at his age, to share with the kyuubi. It's not much of a playmate after all."

Mikoto laughed. "True."

"Naruto will be fine, Mikoto. Just keep doing what you're doing."

"I will. Goodnight, Inoichi."

"Good night, Mikoto."

She walked through the house making sure everything was closed up for the night. She checked on Itachi who was sort of sound asleep in his room. She kissed his brow and he smiled. She then looked in on her two youngest. They were tangled up together, sun and shadow. She straightened the covers over the boys and kissed them both.

"My sons. My precious little boys. I will do my best to never let anything harm you."


	4. Chapter 4

The Kumo nin cursed as he repositioned his grip on the bag that held the Hyuuga girl. He wanted to hit the child until she stopped crying and calling for her mother and father but he didn't want to damage the merchandise.

He stopped in a clearing and dropped the bag; the girl inside crying out in pain from the fall. He reached in and pulled the little girl out by her hair. "Shut up or I'll cut your tongue out before I cut out your eyes!"

The child whimpered and screwed her eyes shut.

The nin was merciless in terrifying the child. "And after I cut out your eyes, I'm going to sell the rest of you to people who really don't care if their 'employees' have eyesight or speech…and neither do their clients."

The enemy nin was so intent on terrifying the four-year-old, he didn't notice two shadows in the forest.

Then the two shadows _moved_.

The enemy shinobi gasped and choked as he was enveloped by something that began to itch. He was then struck by something sticky then another powdery substance. His eyes burned and began to water. He dropped the girl to try and clear the powder and muck from his eyes but then he screamed as he felt something slash across his legs.

He fell to the forest floor and realized that he couldn't move due to the fact that his hands were stuck to his face and there was ninja wire around his legs. He was able to look through his fingers in time to see two small shapes dragging his prize into the forest. He started scream at them to 'get back here.' Then the itching really set in. He wanted to scream from the pain of it. He writhed in the leaves and the dirt trying to relieve the pain but it didn't help. The itch so consumed him, he never noticed the larger shadow that landed quietly next to him. But he stopped when he heard the voice and when he managed to look, all he saw were red and black eyes.

"Foolish Kumo nin. Did you really think that you were going to get away?" The soft laughter was merciless. In the distance there was a howl of a dog. "Normally, I would drag you to T & I myself but there will be others who will be here soon. So I will leave you to their less then tender mercies. But to make sure that you _will_ be here when they arrive…" A kunai swiftly cut through the Kumo nin's hamstrings. "Now, I must go. I need to make sure that three very frightened children make it to safety."

The Kumo nin could barely concentrate from the pain and the itching but he watched as the shadow disappeared. _Three children?_ Three? _Children did this to me?!_

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A crowd of Konoha shinobi burst into the clearing lead by Hiashi Hyuuga and closely followed by his twin, Hizashi. Tsume Inuzuka, who had been visiting Hiashi prowled the edges of the clearing with her companion.

"Someone get me a light!"

Light flared and Hiashi looked around frantically.

No Hinata.

He focused in on the Kumo nin. He stalked a few steps forward to the writhing man. "Where is my daughter?" he growled.

The nin didn't answer him but continued to wriggle on the ground. Hiashi snarled and reached for the man but he was stopped by Hizashi. "No, brother. He's covered in…something."

"It's itching powder, glue and some sort of dye." Called Tsume.

Hiashi looked closer. The nin was covered in leaves, dirt and small branches but he could see pink underneath the filth. The man's hands were obviously stuck to his face. He could also see a glimmer of ninja wire around the man's legs.

Hizashi picked up a fallen branch and moved the nin's leg into better view, ignoring the man's whimper of pain as the ninja wire cut deeper into his skin. "Look here." He pointed to the man's ankle. "He was slashed with a kunai here and across his hamstring. The hamstring cut is clean and precise but the one across the ankle…clumsy, inexperienced."

"You're saying that he was attacked by someone who then made off with Hinata?" Hiashi ran a hand through his hair. "Who."

Tsume laughed. "I think if you turn your eyes to the Uchiha main house, you will find your answer."

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Mikoto grumbled to herself about the person will the appalling indecency to be knocking on the door in the wee hours of the morning. She removed the Seals and flung open the door to see the Head of the Hyuuga on her doorstep. "Hiashi?"

Hiashi bowed to her. "I apologize, Mikoto, for coming at such a time. But I'm here to retrieve Hinata."

Mikoto blinked. "Hinata-chan? Why would you think she was here?"

"Because Tsume's nose said that she was with your two youngest and my Byakugan confirmed that she was here."

"Why would my boys take Hinata?" Mikoto was more than a bit confused but she stepped back and gestured Hiashi inside.

The man smiled at her. "They didn't 'take' her per se…they did take her back though."

"Explain!"

The Hyuuga clan head explained what they knew and what they had surmised. "The boys need to practice their kunai work. But they did very well considering they're four and they were going against an experienced nin. The hamstring work, though, was someone older. Someone with a lot more training."

Mikoto sighed. "It was probably Itachi or Shisui. They both have just returned from missions. I guess whichever one it was felt it was better they follow the children then to make sure the Kumo nin be taken into custody. Especially if you weren't that far behind."

Hiashi nodded. "That's what I think as well. He just made sure that the Kumo nin couldn't get away and then followed the children."

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Mikoto and Hiashi walked quietly to the bedroom and opened the door. The moonlight streaming through the window was enough for them to see the three children piled together on one bed. Hinata in the middle, tears still staining her cheeks with Naruto and Sasuke on either side, partially covered in leaves and dirt but with their arms over the girl in protection.

Mikoto smiled. It was a precious sight. She wished that she had a camera to be able to show it off but she didn't think Hiashi would feel the exact same way. She stepped close to the bed and ran a hand across Sasuke and Naruto's heads. But as she moved their arms away from Hinata, they woke.

"Shhh. Don't wake her." Mikoto cautioned the boys as they bolted upright when she carefully picked up the girl and handed her to her father. Hinata wrapped an arm around his neck and snuggled into his shoulder. Hiashi held her close; closer than the most precious jewel.

"Mother…there was a bad man."

"We got the bad man really good, Mama!"

Mikoto smiled at the two of them. "I know. Hiashi-sama told me. I'm proud of you. But go back to sleep and we'll talk about it in the morning."

"'kay." Naruto flopped back down and was soundly asleep.

Sasuke managed to be somewhat politer. "Goodnight, Mother. Goodnight, Hiashi-sama."

The two adults walked quietly out of the room and towards the front door. Hiashi bowed to Mikoto. "I'm sure Ibiki will be sending Inoichi to talk to the boys in the morning."

Mikoto laughed softly. "It won't be the first time."

"The Uchiha have my deepest appreciation."

"You're welcome." Mikoto hesitated for a moment then spoke. "Hiashi, in a few days, bring Hinata over so that she can play with the boys. I think they'd like that and to also know that she's safe."

Hiashi nodded. "I'll do that." He stepped off the front porch and into the darkness. Mikoto could see him joined by his twin as they exited the property.

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Ibiki stared down at the gods awful mess that had been presented to him. An unpleasant but familiar aroma reached his nose. "You're supposed to shit yourself _after_ you meet me." He glared at the forest muck, glue and two powders littering his nice clean interrogation room. "Someone get me a damn hose!" He shouted. "I'm going to have to clean this idiot up before I can get started questioning him!"


	5. Chapter 5

Orochimaru stood before the two boys. The duck-butt haired brat was glaring at him with those damned Uchiha eyes as he stood in front of the wide-eyed blond brat that looked like his gods-be-damned father! Orochimaru trembled with rage. "I'm going to take your body!" he snarled.

888888

Civilians and shinobi alike cried out in fear as pure hate raged across the village. Almost as one they turned towards the source and saw orange chakra boiling into the sky above the Uchiha training grounds. Everyone watched as dozens of ANBU came out of nowhere and began racing across the rooftops towards the trouble.

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Hound looked down at the little boy and Konoha's most infamous shinobi, both of whom were lying unconscious on the ground. He looked at the ANBU surrounding him. "Hawk, you and Weasel take both boys to the hospital. Leopard, go alert Ibiki and Inoichi. Bear, you and I will take Orochimaru to ANBU Medical. Tiger tell Mikoto-sama and the Hokage what we know and what we have done so far. Everyone else I want you searching for enemy shinobi."

Unspoken was the _And kill them._

"Go!"

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Hiruzen watched as Inoichi spoke softly yet firmly to the young boy sitting in his mother's lap. "Sasuke, please tell me what happened."

Sasuke sniffled and wiped his nose with his hand. Mikoto rolled her eyes but did nothing. "Me an' Naruto were practicing our katas when that man just came out of the ground. He looked sick and stuff an' he said 'I'm gonna take your body!' I was standing in front of Naruto but I heard him say 'Are you sure?' then he said 'Okay' and he went around me." Sasuke looked up at Mikoto. "I tried to stop him, Mother, honest!"

Mikoto kissed his forehead and murmured reassurances and urged Sasuke to finish.

Sasuke turned back to Inoichi. "Naruto went around me and touched that man. Then everything turned orange and I heard that man scream really, really loud."

"What happened after that?"

"Naruto and that man fell to the ground and ANBU came."

Inoichi patted Sasuke's knee gently. "Thank you, Sasuke. You've been a big help."

Sasuke gave him a shy smile then hid his face against his mother's shoulder. The "You're welcome." was more than a bit muffled but Inoichi heard it. He smiled a bit sadly at Mikoto. "You know what I'm going to have to do."

Mikoto nodded as she gently rocked Sasuke back and forth.

Inoichi took a deep breath and dove into Naruto's mind. He wasn't surprised when he found himself in front of the kyuubi's cage once again. One eye opened lazily and gazed at him, "You again, eh."

"Me, again." Inoichi kept his tone amiable. "Thank you for keeping Naruto safe. His mother would be devastated if something happened to him."

The kyuubi snorted "If anyone is going to kill the boy, it's going to be me. Not some upstart snake caller." His tail twitched and beneath it was an oversized chew toy similar to the ones the Inuzuka gave to their puppies. Inoichi tried to hide a smile but the kyuubi saw it and glared. "The brat thinks I'm a dog that needs to be entertained. I can't get rid of the damned thing." It grumbled.

Inoichi gave a slight bow to the creature. "Shall I ask Naruto to get rid of it?" He had seen the teeth marks on the toy.

The kyuubi glared harder. "Don't bother. The brat will just think of something else to put in here to bother me with."

"Then I won't bother. I'll leave you to your rest." Inoichi worked his way out of that section of Naruto's mind and examined his most recent memories. They were as Sasuke had described. It was the kyuubi that Naruto had listened to and obeyed. He stayed a bit longer in Naruto's mind and put up what safeguards he could to prevent the kyuubi from using Naruto too much.

When he came back to reality, he told Mikoto and the Hokage what had happened and what he'd learned in Naruto's mind. "At the moment, the kyuubi is perhaps…choosing…not to use Naruto for destructive purposes. Perhaps it's because Naruto is too young. I don't know but I do think that we're going to need someone to look at the Seal and perhaps alter it or add onto it."

Hiruzen sighed. "We need Jiraiya sooner than later then." He stood up and took his leave of Mikoto, gesturing for Inoichi to follow. "Let's go see about Orochimaru."

Ibiki was waiting for them outside the room. Before Hiruzen could speak, Ibiki began talking. "I had Orochimaru-sama transferred here. He has extensive damage to his nervous system as well as his chakra coils." He gave a grim smile to their shock. "Orochimaru-sama was another of Danzo's victims. He, too, had a seal placed upon him but unlike the others, he found it and did his best to try and remove it. When he couldn't do that, he managed to alter it slightly."

"How do you know this?" demanded the Hokage.

"When the medics first examined him, they found a storage scroll and gave it to me. I opened it and found a letter giving a quick explanation and then a file with all of his notes. Which are extensive. And, for the most part, they are helping the medics." Ibiki sighed and rubbed his face. "Let's go to him." The three men took the stairs to the next floor as Ibiki continued talking. "According to the notes the seal was placed over ten years ago but when Orochimaru-sama left the village, Danzo didn't bother to maintain it like he did to his shinobi slaves. Orochimaru-sama did manage to alter it slightly, as I said, but it affected his chakra coils, nervous system and his sanity. He switched bodies to try and maintain those three. But according to the notes, the substitute bodies wear out quickly."

"So that explains why he was in his own body." Murmured Inoichi.

Ibiki nodded. "Yes. And it looks like when the kyuubi attacked him, more of the seal was destroyed or burnt away."

"So some of it is still there?" asked Hiruzen.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Ibiki paused at a door. "But the kyuubi _did_ do, helped tremendously."

"But there's still more to be done." Said Hiruzen.

"Yes, but the medics tell me that they can keep him stable until the necessary help arrives."

"You know what needs to be done, Ibiki. Do it. Quickly, please."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Ibiki bowed and left at a run.

Hiruzen took a deep breath and opened the door.

Medics were swarming a bed, some calling out numbers and descriptions while others stood over a still figure, their hands glowing green. When Hiruzen was noticed, all activity stopped. The medics bowed and moved out of the way.

Hiruzen stepped over to the bed. He tried to keep from gasping in shock at Orochimaru's condition. The man had been a fanatic about cleanliness but it was obvious that it had been some time since Orochimaru had bathed or washed his hair.

Orochimaru's eyes flickered open. The normally bright gold eyes were dull and weary. "Sensei," he rasped, "I'm…I'm sorry…" A tear ran out of the corner of one eye.

Hiruzen turned to the others in the room and nodded towards the door. Inoichi caught on and quickly shooed everyone out. Hiruzen sat on the side of the bed and carefully pulled his student into his arms. "It's alright, my boy. Ibiki explained. And you can explain more when you're feeling better."

Orochimaru buried his face into Hiruzen's shoulder just like Sasuke had done to his mother. "Thank you, sensei."

Hiruzen didn't say anything nor did he treat Orochimaru like a child but he held him closer as he felt the tears soaking his robe.

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Jiraiya groaned in pain as he rolled over onto his back. _Who knew prostitutes could be so mean._ He winced as someone toed him none too gently in the ribs.

"Get up, you old pervert."

Jiraiya's eyes flew open. There, silhouetted against the sun…"Tsunade?"

"It's me, pervert, get up. We have to go."

Jiraiya groaned and sat up. He shielded his eyes and looked up at his teammate. "Go? Go where?"

The look on her face rivaled the sun. "Home. Orochimaru needs us."


	6. Chapter 6

As Mikoto talked with the shopkeeper, Itachi stood outside and kept an eye on Sasuke and Naruto as they sat and played a game with a little pink-haired girl that involved a ball, hand gestures and a lot of giggling. But he also kept an eye on the crowd, watching for those who might wish to harm his little brothers.

He was rather surprised when the crowd parted and the Snake Sannin emerged. The older man stopped near Itachi and spoke "You're Itachi, are you not?"

"Yes, Sir."

Orochimaru nodded. "I thought so. My sympathies about your father. I was just told about his death. Is your mother doing well?"

"Thank you. And yes, she's doing quite well. You may have heard that she's leading the Clan now."

"I did hear."

"If I may be bold, Sir, you look like you're feeling better."

Orochimaru huffed a laugh and gave Itachi a small smile, "I only look like Death warmed over now rather than a four-week-old corpse." He raised a hand when Itachi tried to speak. "I know, boy, I know. I am feeling better but my doctors have forbidden me from doing anything more strenuous then strolling around the village. At this point, I'm not even allowed to do Tai Chi! Fortunately, they haven't forbidden reading but my children take everything away by a certain time so I can rest."

Itachi gave his own small smile at the frustration in the older man's voice. He'd been like that a few times himself. But he understood their reasoning. Certain people could be obsessive and get involved with something and cause a setback in their health.

Suddenly a shriek made both man and boy whirl.

"SAKURA!"

A blond woman burst through the crowd practically running toward the three children playing. Itachi saw that the little pink-haired girl cringed and tried to hide behind Sasuke but the woman grabbed her by the arm and yanked her into the air. The child screamed in pain.

Itachi watched, stunned, as Orochimaru _moved._

He knew he was fast, Shisui was faster and the Captain, for all of his public perverted laziness, was even faster. But Orochimaru…

The woman was on the ground, her face registering her shock and the girl was in Orochimaru's arms…not making a sound. Sasuke and Naruto were standing upright looking uncertainly between Itachi and Orochimaru.

The surrounding crowd was silent.

Itachi could see two of his cousins that were in the police force making their way quickly through the frozen crowd.

"Itachi-kun."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama?"

"I seem to have left my kunai behind, do you have one with you?"

"Yes, Sir."

Orochimaru motioned him forward. He gestured at the girl's shirt. "Cut the sleeve there and at the neck there. Then pull back the pieces so that I may see."

Itachi did as he was told. When he pulled back the pieces of shirt, he heard someone behind him gasp. He could see why. It was obvious that the child's shoulder was dislocated but was more disconcerting were the many bruises in various stages of healing.

Orochimaru spoke, his voice carrying clearly. "Up until a few days ago, I was the last of my Clan but I have since adopted my two apprentices and in my familial research, I discovered that two generations ago a Takenoshita married a Haruno. Therefore by Clan Law, I claim this child as Clan."

Behind them Mikoto's voice rang out. "Heard and Witnessed!"

A civilian man stepped forward, prominently displaying his Clan ring, "Heard and Witnessed!"

An Aburame stepped forward "Heard and Witnessed!"

Itachi's two cousins had finally made their way through the crowd. Itachi gestured to the woman on the ground who was in shock over what had just happened. "Arrest her for child abuse." The pair nodded and pulled the woman to her feet and took her away.

Mikoto stepped forward and her cool gaze swept the crowd. Who immediately went back to what they had been doing previously. She gently touched the little girl, tilting the child's chin up to look into her eyes then the girl went limp.

Orochimaru adjusted his hold on the girl, resting her head on his shoulder in such a way that her shoulder wouldn't be jostled. "Thank you. I think she's in a great deal of pain."

Mikoto stroked the pink hair. "Poor little one. It's rather telling that she didn't cry from the pain." She looked at Orochimaru, "I'm sure you know that once she's being treated, the genjutsu won't last."

The Snake Sannin nodded. "I'll have the medics give her the necessary pain blockers before I allow them to treat her. If you will excuse me." He turned and made his way quickly through the crowd and disappeared from view.

Mikoto smiled at her three boys. "I think we should go home now and have lunch."

Naruto tugged at her sleeve. "Mama, was that the man that came out of the ground? He looks kinda different."

Mikoto ran her hand over the bright blond hair. "Yes, that was the same man. He was very ill but he's getting better."

Sasuke spoke up. "So is Sakura his daughter now?"

"Under Clan law, yes."

Naruto bounced. "Does that mean we can play with her again?"

Mikoto smiled. "When she is better, we can ask."

Sasuke smiled and Naruto cheered.

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"The legality of what you did is a bit questionable, my boy." Hiruzen sucked on his pipe, the fragrant tobacco scenting the air.

Orochimaru shrugged. "Clan laws have always been biased in favor of someone in a clan over others. Even though my Clan was almost extinct, the Takenoshita are still in the Clan Book. Besides, it _was_ Heard and Witnessed and the child is in my possession. And the abuse she suffered makes things even more biased in my favor."

"Yeah, but Teme, your reputation is a bit notorious." Jiraiya didn't flinch at the glare Orochimaru sent his way.

Tsunade laughed. "Ah, but Oro has a legitimate medical, if not legal, reason for his previous behaviors." She sat on the edge of the desk. "With what was documented on that child, Orochimaru is almost a saint compared to that woman. His claim will stand."

Hiruzen sighed. He'd read Sakura's medical file. Tsunade was right. Once the village's Clan heads saw that file, they would not hesitate to stand behind Orochimaru. At the very least to protect Clan superiority. "Your claim will stand; we'll see to it. How are you feeling, by the way?"

"I'm fine." Orochimaru ignored Tsunade's snort. "I've been walking and Tsunade has persuaded Kabuto and Anko to remove my books and scrolls from me every night so that I can get my sleep."

"Since he was at the hospital, I examined him. His nervous system and chakra coils are progressing in their healing quite nicely. I've decided that you can do more exercising than just walking about. But you still have to take it slowly and carefully." Her face and voice were pleading.

Orochimaru smiled at his teammate. "I won't disobey you. I know what happens when you're disobeyed." Jiraiya laughed. "And I know my body's limits. Tai Chi will be the most strenuous exercise I'll be able to do for a while."

Tsunade nodded, then she tugged at her ponytail agitatedly.

Orochimaru smiled at his teammates and his sensei. When he spoke his voice was gentle. "I take it you've decided to take the hat."

Tsunade took a deep breath and released it. "Yes."

Orochimaru stood up, walked over to her and kissed her cheek. "You'll be a good Hokage. Congratulations."

Tsunade wrapped her arms around him and leaned into his chest. "Thank you."

Geta clacked against the wooden floor as Jiraiya joined his teammates in the hug.

Hiruzen smoked his pipe and smiled.

* * *

Author's notes: Takenoshita means one who lives beneath the bamboo. I think snakes qualify. I have looked and I can't seem to find any evidence that Orochimaru has a last name. For the purposes of this story, he needed one and that's the one I picked.

Now if someone knows if Orochimaru actually has one given to him by Kishimoto-san, please let me know.


	7. Chapter 7

Orochimaru took a deep breath and released it. He enjoyed the relaxed feeling of his body after the massage he'd just had. Tsunade had insisted that he get one at least once a week. He might argue with her over a variety of things as a matter of principal but when it came to his physical health, he had never argued with her. It wasn't worth wasting his breath.

Orochimaru was glad that Hiruzen had abandoned secrecy in favor of revealing everything Danzo had done and to whom. There was no need for the man to continue poisoning the village. And that meant that he didn't have to deal with as many suspicious glances and mutters that would grate on his nerves and cause him to do something that he would regret.

He didn't remember much about his first week back in Konoha. He did remember weeping in Sensei's arms. Other than that, much of that time he spent sleeping. He had blurred memories of people gently shaking him awake and spoons of liquids and soft foods placed in his mouth. He normally didn't like being impaired like that but Tsunade and Sensei didn't give him a choice.

The second week still had him confined to the hospital bed but he was kept distracted by his interviews with Inoichi and Ibiki. Then Tsunade got sneaky, she assigned a genin team to be his legs and to fetch him things from the Hokage's office and from the Archives. Orochimaru laughed softly to himself about Sensei and Tsunade giving him paperwork to do. But reading the multitude of reports and writing summaries had helped him catch up on the situation in the village. Gentle questioning of the genin had also helped since most of the children hadn't developed a filter yet that would prevent them from spilling secrets.

During that time, he'd surprised his apprentices by formally adopting them. He had been a bit worried about naming Kabuto as Heir since Anko was older but she told him that she didn't mind, she didn't want to be tied down that way and she would be more than happy to be Kabuto's muscle. Kabuto had rolled his eyes and said there wasn't enough Clan TO muscle.

He was glad that the pair were content being in the village. Both had been tested and had received rare field promotions to chuunin. Anko was assigned to Ibiki and the bloodthirsty child was enjoying herself. Fortunately, Ibiki had no complaints. Kabuto was at the hospital, and according to rumor, the Head Medic and the Head of R & D were almost to the point of kunai at dawn as to which department was going to have the boy.

And his most recent acquisition, Sakura, was getting better. Tsunade and Kabuto had made sure she was completely healed physically. Orochimaru found a Uchiha therapist that was working with her; showing her the difference between hitting someone and hurting them. Orochimaru realized that shinobi tread a fine line of hypocrisy in regards to that but Sakura needed to learn that difference. The therapist said she was making strides and that being around Mikoto's youngest two, like she was currently, was helping since the two boys fought each other at the drop of a hat.

He made a mental note to himself to make sure Sakura was properly immunized against perverts like he immunized Anko. Mikoto's youngest had a look about him that reminded him of Jiraiya.

"Orochimaru-sama!" He stopped and looked towards the high-pitched voices. It was Team 2. The genin team that had been assigned to him the most. All three were civilian children and probably were quietly being guided into administrative positions. They ran up to him, talking all at once. He raised a hand and they became silent. "Kimiko, what is it?"

The young kunoichi bowed "Orochimaru-sama, the archivists sent us to get you. Jiraiya-sama is in the Archives and is yelling!"

Her teammate, Itsuro, nodded vigorously "He's making a mess of the Archives too!"

Daisuke, the third team member added "He threatened to burn the Archives and the archivists along with it!"

Orochimaru sighed. He had an idea of what Jiraiya was looking for and he couldn't believe the idiot wasn't using his head. "Who has pen and paper?" Three pairs of hands dove into pouches and produced three sets of the desired items. Orochimaru took one set and wrote two quick notes. He returned the pen and paper then folded the notes in half and Sealed them shut. He handed the two notes to Kimiko. "Take these notes. There are two place I want you to go. First is to ANBU headquarters." He nearly smiled at the three pairs of eyes that bulged out of their heads. Of course, the "ANBU headquarters" that these children knew of wasn't the real one but it would suffice. "The other note is for Uchiha Mikoto-sama. If Mikoto-sama doesn't give you anything to do, then you are to report to your sensei and tell her that you've completed two D Ranks for me. Now off with you! I require speed."

Team 2 bowed to him then ran off.

Orochimaru wasn't about to use the roofs, regardless of what Jiraiya was threatening to do, it wasn't worth Tsunade's punishment but he did begin to run for the Archive.

When he arrived, he was pleased to note that he was only a little bit out of breath. He straightened his robes and entered the building. With a displeasure, he saw that the children were right. Jiraiya had thrown scrolls and files all over the floor. Pieces of paper from the files littered the floor. Junior archivists scurried around retrieving the papers; some were weeping – in frustration and anger, Orochimaru was sure, at the idea of trying to get them reorganized and shelved. The Head Archivist was standing on a chair, nose to nose with Jiraiya and they were shouting at each other.

Orochimaru listened to Jiraiya's ranting for a moment then silently slid behind him and swept his feet out from underneath him. Jiraiya hit the floor with a crash and before he could open his mouth, Orochimaru hissed "Senile old fool! You should remember that there is more than one Archive in the village!" Jiraiya gaped like a fish. Orochimaru ignored him and turned to the Head Archivist. "My apologies for this idiot pervert. Please keep an exact account of how long and how many people it takes to clean this up and send the report to the Hokage. He or Tsunade will make sure Jiraiya pays for it."

Unsaid was _in more ways than one._

Orochimaru glared at his teammate. "Get on your feet, fool. I don't have all day." He gave a curt bow to the Archivist. As he swept out of the room, he heard Jiraiya babbling an apology then the noisy clack of geta catching up to him. From the corner of his eye, he could see Jiraiya at his side but he still didn't look. "Idiot! As if they'd keep Minato-kun's notes where anyone could get to them."

Jiraiya groaned. "I didn't think about it. After all, they have Tobirama's files there."

Orochimaru snorted. "Edited files. There are still some things that Tobirama did and created that shouldn't be known by just anyone."

Jiraiya rubbed the back of his head and wisely kept his mouth shut.

The two men walked down a side street and came to a nondescript door. Orochimaru knocked lightly and waited. After a few moments, the door slid open and the two men walked in. They paused for a moment to allow their eyes to adjust and looked around. In front of them was a man who had the look of an Aburame. He was missing one leg and part of a hand but he bowed to the two Sannin. "I am the ANBU Archivist. Welcome. Please follow me."

They followed and Orochimaru spoke. "Thank you for allowing us in even though neither one of us have ever been ANBU."

The Archivist looked over his shoulder and smile. "But you are the Sannin and the Fourth Hokage was Jiraiya-sama's student. You out of anyone have the right to view his work." The Archivist stopped before a door. A guilty look came over his face. "I must admit that the Fourth's papers were gathered together after his death but nothing been gone through." Both Orochimaru and Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at that. "I know, I know but quite honestly after the Attack nearly five years ago there was so much to do, to reorganize and having to take care of current reports…" the man raised his hands helplessly. "There just hasn't been the time."

Jiraiya laid a hand on the man's shoulder "And there hasn't been anyone who could probably understand what Minato was doing either."

The Archivist smiled "That too." He unsealed the door and motioned the two Sannin inside. While it wasn't an overly large room, the shelves along the walls were jammed packed with scrolls, files and pieces of paper.

Jiraiya groaned. It looked like they had taken every book, scroll, file and loose bit of paper from Minato's house. "This is going to take a while."

Orochimaru looked at the Archivist. "We're going to need a table for the two of us as well as chairs. We will also need another table to sort upon and boxes to sort papers into. I think after a while, we'll be able to determine what should be kept here, what should be considered for the Main Archive and what is purely trash."

The Archivist nodded. "I'll have someone bring those items right away." He bowed to the two Sannin and left the room.

Orochimaru and Jiraiya stood shoulder to shoulder.

"Once more into the breach, my friend. Once more."

"Idiot."


	8. Chapter 8

Going through Minato's papers had taken far, far longer than either Jiraiya or Orochimaru suspected.

Because Minato would draw seals on pretty much anything that could be drawn on, ANBU had had collected almost everything in Minoto's house…and that included Kushina's work as well.

So, the two Sannin had to sort Kushina's work from Minato's and determine what had to be kept classified, what had to stay in ANBU archives and what could be released to the Main Archives.

Unfortunately, they were also interrupted often. First with Tsunade's investiture as Hokage. Then being named as her council which required them to be at village meetings.

And they were sent on missions. Yukigakure in winter was Hell on Earth as far as Orochimaru was concerned. He thanked the gods for the perception of his hosts when they realized the Konoha's cold weather gear wasn't warm enough for him. The gear they gave to him kept him considerably warmer as did the brazier they kindly placed under his chair.

But despite the kindness of their hosts, he was proud of the clever kunoichi that was part of his team. She had seduced the jonin sub-commander and got from him the information they needed to blackmail Yukigakure from allying themselves with Iwagakure. That knowledge also enabled them to leave the snow-bound village much sooner than planned.

With all the interruptions, summer passed into fall. Naruto turned five. Fall became winter and then winter turned into spring. The new school year was a week away when Orochimaru and Jiraiya made their way to the Uchiha compound with the revisions they'd created for Naruto's Seal.

As the weeks had gone by, because the Uchiha had the most secure and largest private training grounds, Mikoto found herself being the most frequent watcher of the Clan Children that were the same age as Naruto and Sasuke. Most of whom were also the Clan Heirs. She was also Orochimaru's choice to watch over Sakura when he had to be away from the village since Kabuto spent most of his time at the hospital and Anko was usually away on missions herself.

When the two Sannin arrived at the compound they followed the sound of childish squeals of joy. They stopped and watched the large group of children training in a way that was disguised as fun and play. Mikoto was smiling and Itachi was laughing at the sight of Shisui on the ground, bundled in wire, in what had obviously been a successful teamwork exercise.

They were first spotted by the Hyuuga girl, Hinata, who bowed "Good afternoon, Orochimaru-sama and Jiraiya-sama."

Sakura, who had been giggling with Yamanaka Ino, squealed and ran to her father. Orochimaru swung her up and onto his hip "Papa! Papa! We caught Shisui-nii!"

"Congratulations." Orochimaru smiled at her then smiled at the children who began clustering around them. "I hope you all worked together."

Sasuke nodded. "Yes, sir. Shika planned everything and then we worked in teams to capture Shisui-nii."

Orochimaru and Jiraiya exchanged a look with Mikoto. Obviously Shikamaru was his father's son despite his more relaxed attitude.

Jiraiya motioned to Naruto. "Come here, brat!" Naruto made a face at him but complied. Jiraiya picked up and carried him over to a rock and placed him carefully there. The children, adults, Itachi and the now freed Shisui followed. Jiraiya looked at the children. "I bet you've wondered why some adults are mean to Naruto, haven't you?"

The children looked at each other then back to him and nodded. Jiraiya sighed. "Okay, I'm going to explain why Naruto is so special and important to Konoha. It's going to take a while so everyone sit down." All the children sat down and listened intently as Jiraiya explained about the Nine Tails, Naruto and the previous jinchuuriki and recent Konoha history.

When Jiraiya finished, he asked "Does anyone have any questions?" He was almost knocked over by the children all speaking at once.

"So Naru-chan is a storage scroll?"

"Why didn't the Fourth Hokage chose a grown-up?"

"Can he hold other stuff besides the Nine Tails?"

"Will the Nine Tails escape?"

"Why hasn't the seal washed off when Naruto has a bath?"

"How does the Nine Tails eat?"

"Is that why Naruto eats so much? 'Cause of the Nine Tails?"

"Are you going to let the Nine Tails out?"

"Can we play with it?"

"The Nine Tails is a mean ol' grumpy poop that doesn't like to play!"

The three adults blinked in shock at the last statement. Mikoto spoke carefully. "Ino-chan, what do you mean by that?"

The little blonde girl folded her arms and pouted. "Me and Naru went and got him toys an' stuff an' he doesn't even say 'thank you'! He just gets all grumpy and yells an' stuff."

Naruto nodded. "He just tells us to 'go away' 'cause he's trying to sleep. And he says stuff like 'you're more annoying than your father'."

Orochimaru turned away from the children and stuffed his sleeve in his mouth hoping that the children wouldn't hear his laughter. Jiraiya just stood and stared at the Yamanaka heir in shock. Mikoto closed her eyes and prayed silently for a moment. She opened her eyes and took a deep breath and drew herself upright. "Yamanaka Ino!" she spoke sternly. Ino looked at her with wide blue eyes. "As Naruto's Clan Head and Mother, I am forbidding you from using your Talent on Naruto unless you have the express permission of myself, your father or the Hokage. Do you understand?"

Ino bowed deeply. "Yes, Uchiha-sama, I understand."

The adults sighed almost as one. Jiraiya chuckled and patted Ino on the head. "Okay, brats, I'll answer your questions now." And he did, making sure that before he went to another question that the children understood completely.

After all the questions were answered, Orochimaru pulled out a bottle of ink and a brush. "Now, while the Fourth Hokage did an excellent job under difficult circumstances, it does cause Naruto some problems. The biggest one is that Naruto has access to too much chakra for his age and has a hard time controlling it."

Shikamaru nodded thoughtfully, "So that's why Mikoto-sama and Shisui-nii are always having him practice water and tree walking."

"Exactly." Orochimaru gave him an approving nod. "But Jiraiya and I have worked out an alteration to the seal so that Naruto will have more control over his chakra."

Shikamaru looked at the two Sannin. "You're giving him more control over it but you can't let him have the same amount that we do, can you?"

"No. That would be impossible without completely removing the seal." Said Jiraiya. "All we can do is small alterations that should help out." He turned to Naruto. "Take your shirt off, Naruto. We're going to take care it right now."

Naruto looked at Mikoto for permission. When she nodded, he took off his shirt. The children clustered around him and stared at the seal. A few fingers reached out and poked at it causing Naruto to giggle. "Okay, kids, give me room." Jiraiya knelt in front of Naruto and held out his hand. Orochimaru gave him bottle and brush. Jiraiya felt the warmth of the bottle and realized that his teammate had warmed the ink to body temperature to try and prevent the boy from moving too much. Orochimaru held out their diagram for Jiraiya to reaffirm the changes.

Jiraiya dipped the narrow brush into the ink and quickly made the additions before Naruto giggle and squirm. Then before the ink was even dry, he gathered chakra into his hand and placed it over the seal and made the changes permanent. He smiled with satisfaction and declared "Done!"

Hinata walked up to Naruto, her opal eyes filled with worry. "Are you okay, Naru-chan? Do you feel alright?"

Naruto jumped off the rock and grabbed her hand. "I don't feel funny, Hina-chan. I feel the same!"

Sasuke snorted. "That's because you're too stupid to know if there's something different!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

Itachi spoke loudly, obviously trying to stop the brawl before it started. "Lunchtime! Everyone go wash your hands."

The children cheered and made a small stampede for the outdoor sinks to clean up with Itachi and Shisui following behind.

Mikoto sighed as she turned to Orochimaru and Jiraiya. "Thank you for making the alterations. I think it will make things easier for him in the future."

Orochimaru nodded as Jiraiya spoke. "We have a few changes planned for the future but we won't make those until he makes genin."

"I understand." Mikoto smiled. "I take it you're going to make a report to the Hokage?" The two men nodded. "Well, you can decide which of you are going to tell Inoichi what his overly precocious daughter has been doing with my son!"

Orochimaru gave Mikoto an angelic smile. "Why, my dear Mikoto, that's the Hokage's job to decide what to do with the information that is reported to her."

888888

In the Tower, Tsunade gave a mighty sneeze that caused her hat to tilt over her eyes. As she pushed it back to its proper place, her eyes narrowed. _What am I going to have to deal with now?_


End file.
